realmofstories | Chapter 03: Act I

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Chapter 03: Act I

The Little Mermaid: Act I—

§ instructions.

The first Act of our third campaign is underway! This is the designated log for all Main Scenes. Others are free to create their own toplevels for the Sub Quests, which are detailed below. Each Main Scene has their own unique toplevel and those cast into the roles are to thread their scene under each. All scene instructions are provided in the toplevels. There are also toplevels for each Sub Quest this time around, but players are more than welcome to create their own individual toplevel if they have something else in mind they would like to do.

As a reminder, characters will find similar information and instructions within their journals so they won't go in blind. Also to note, all characters will have all their belongings within them as well as the additional supplies provided to them by the Storyteller. As you know, everyone has undergone a special "mermaid" transformation upon arriving into the Book, but do note: characters in Main Scenes will have a second wardrobe change while acting the scene. Their merform will stay the same, but they'll have additional bits to add to their role. Outfits will be provided in the prompts themselves, and these outfits will only be in affect during the scene. The moment they leave the setting area, they return to their other wardrobe.

Finally, just to be clear, characters who are in Main Scenes are not immediately dropped in to their location and will have to travel to the "setting location" and then return. Threading all of that isn't necessary, but it's to help give a better idea that characters can take a break between scenes or wait a bit to help with other things like the Sub Quests.

Feel free to refer to the Game Notes for more detailed info as well as ask questions or clarifications.

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At the bright age of fifteen, our little mermaid is to receive a pearl crown from her grandmother. However, with the crown she must also have oysters clamped onto her tail, for "pride must suffer pain." Wearing the crown is easy enough, but dealing with the oysters is a different matter—especially when the mermaid must go through a secret cavern and convince the oysters to actually clamp onto her tail. Consider it a ritual of sorts.

The challenges are the following: 1) collect glowing sea crystals without disturbing the nest of eels sleeping nearby; 2) swim through dark tunnels with strong currents pushing her back; and 3) sing a sweet lullaby to the oysters so that they will remove themselves to then clamp onto her tail. The grandmother can also aid with their own crooning voice and any other aid they may be able to provide. It is not required, but it would be nice.

While partying on his fancy boat, a storm decides to crash it and sends the prince overboard. Having been attracted to the sight and sounds, the mermaid now wearing her crown and oysters has the opportunity to save the prince and bring him to shore. It won't be easy. Whether the prince is conscious or not or can even swim will be the least of their problems.

Turbulent ocean waters, sharks coming for a potential easy meal (or two), and less "human friendly" merfolk will make their journey to shore perilous. It is likely they will need to fight, and while they will have access to any weapons and abilities they have, it may be difficult since it's underwater. Fortunately they will have some aid in the form of...a passing humpback whale. But only if the mermaid and prince are able to sing a song to attract its attention.

NOTE: The one acting the role of Prince will NOT have their merform during this scene...for the most part. If things become too dire than they will be able to transform to make it through.

After the mermaid has brought the prince safely(?) to shore, she must leave. This leaves a passing priestess to find the unconscious(?) prince and tend to him instead. The prince is to believe she is his rescuer and immediately falls in love. Of course, whether that actually happens or if the prince may have vague memories of his real savior is in the air. Also depends on whether the priestess will actually take advantage of the misunderstanding.

Whatever happens, the priestess needs to help the prince up and take him to the nearby castle. It's a bit of a climb, so take care. Any trails and paths remaining are narrow and the walls steep and slippery. There are also black bats and seagulls that may try to pester them as they ascend higher up the cliff, as well as strong gusts of wind strong enough to blow them off. There is one way to make the trek easier—singing any kind of tune will loosen large chunks of rock and will have them fall in such a way to form a couple of steps or fill in gaps. This will only work in certain places, but it's at least something. Just be careful—sing too loudly and it might cause a rock slide instead.

Lovesick over the prince, the mermaid learns from her grandmother about the fate of mermaids and how marriage to a human can give a mermaid an immortal soul. Thus, while still wearing her crown and oysters, she seeks out the sea witch wearing her powerful necklace who will give her a pair of human legs in exchange for her voice and intense pain while walking. However, if the prince falls in love and marries someone else, the mermaid will turn to seafoam. Will the mermaid take this deal? Will she try to barter something else? And will the spell succeed?

Before that, however, they will need the following ingredients to gather the potion: red seaweed, blue shrimp, yellow clams, and a purple starfish. All of these items can be found within the sea witch's cave, but they are protected by a spell that will repel them. They must sing a song involving the item in question to dispel it and gather the item. Then they must come up and sing a duet about the potion while making it.

Everything below this comment are the prompts for the sub quests and then any other individual toplevels players may want to create.

EDIT FOR ALL SUB QUESTS: An optional late addition! Each sub quest now has a singing component because why not let everyone suffer the musical nature of this story. For Base Camp, singing or any kind of music making and dancing will help restore the colors and sound of the kingdom. For Making the Crown, some oysters may need a little musical coaxing to open up. And for the Garden, singing and music will also help placate the hostile statues, as well as help the plants to grow. Again, completely optional since this is a late addition.

Edited 2019-07-15 20:39 (UTC)

Help set up, clear out, and protect the central location so that it can be used for a base camp. No one knows how long they'll be here, but it's going to be a few days, perhaps weeks. Time passes strangely within stories, after all. Helping clean up and rebuild around the palace will help appease the more troublesome Blots, as well as further secure the area. There are other supplies scattered about that can also be collected and used. Should anyone need to return to the Index, the gateway still exists, but faintly. It will take a lot of power to send someone to and back again, so it can only be used in emergencies.

Although the Storyteller's magic will help offer some basic protection, there are still dangers that lurk outside of the palace buildings. Taking on the form of mutated sea creatures, Blots and Erasers alike may try to enter and attack, particularly any who are not paying attention. Having a glowing crystal to help illuminate one's surroundings is advised. There are also Blot versions of past merfolk residents, and for the most part they are a neutral party. But if someone were to poke any underwater treasures or intrude on their homes, they may attack.

A crown is needed for the first scene, so those who are willing must set out to five possible locations to find a particular pearl. The locations are:

Midnight Coast: a coast near a city, the oyster is in a shallow cove. Just be careful to not be caught by the "locals" who are out fishing. Stealth will be optimal.
Swans at Sunset: a tranquil lagoon home to a flock of swans. Within their territory is a large oyster, but be wary. These "swans" are large and hungry for anything fish. (And they're swans, they're going to be assholes.)
Upriver: upriver to a forest and hills. There is a group of children and a dog guarding the oyster and will need to be warded off or distracted. They love games and riddles, but they are blots, so you could fight them, but any harm done will transform the dog into a cerberus.
Half sunken "haunted" ship: stranded out in the open sea. The ship ran aground some rock pillars, and the oyster is attached within the underwater portion of the ship. Beware the skeleton pirates and other grisly creatures.
Frozen seas: iceberg surrounded by thunderstorms. The only hazard is getting through the water without getting struck by lightning. Maybe pushing some blocks of ice will help shield them.

Note: there's no limit to these pearls so multiple parties can tackle the same location. Once a pearl is obtained, it will shimmer a bright silver and those who helped gather it will be instantly sent back to base.

Edited 2019-07-14 21:28 (UTC)

The mermaid has her own special garden filled with numerous statues, including a large statue of a male human. It's filled with live coral and small fish that need to be taken care of while the mermaid is off gallivanting with human princes and adventures, or be ready for when she has her moment of grief over the prince. More importantly, it's a giant mess thanks to the state of the story, so creatures need to be contained, "plants" need to be tended and regrown, "weeds" removed, trash taken out, etc. The ingredients for the sea witch's potion can also be found within the garden, and those need to be gathered. Sounds simple enough, but for some reason everyone is warned that when near the statues, they should not blink.

And should they forget... ...Did that statue just move? Did that stone crab always have its claws open and pointed at their back? Or that narwhal's horn aimed straight at their heart? The statues in these gardens are broken, twisted, and downright scary at times. They will move, follow, and even attack those who do not pay attention to them. However, by decorating and revitalizing their area, they will be appeased, be restored to their more peaceful forms, and serve as protectors instead.

The first thing out of Dojima's mouth, upon appearing in the palace, was a long, frustrated sigh.

"... Well, wearing this was pointless."

His pants- and legs for that matter- were replaced with a shark's tail, but his shirt was still on... and soaked through. Grumbling to himself, he quickly pulled it off, and tossed it to the side. No point wearing as soggy piece of clothing that was just going to get in his way especially if a fight broke out. Fortunately, it seemed his sword had retained it's normal form and was still at his side in it's scabbard.

"...So, I'm going to go scout around and see what the area looks like. I'd like to take someone with me to make sure we have back up in case something decides to be aggressive."

He may be the type to take charge, but he wasn't foolhardy about it for the most part.

"I'd heavily recommend if anyone else decides to go anywhere here to pair up to keep safe."

He was trying to be diplomatic about it instead of full on authoritative, if only because he got the impression that would backfire for a few of their... acquaintances.

Edited 2019-07-15 01:38 (UTC)

[He hates his life. Why is he always playing the old people? Is this some sort of sick joke?

Whatever, at least Rokurou and Velvet aren't around to see this. He swims over to the girl playing the role of his granddaughter (ugh) and looks at the cave.]

Hope you can sing.

[Option One: Upriver]

It's a small swim upriver to the location where another oyster is located. Not her favorite swim considering her form is meant to be for the ocean, far below the surface and illuminating the darkness should anyone be attempting to find her there. However, for this, she could make it work - they needed these pearls for the crown.

Raising her head just enough above the surface, the kids and the dog present might be an issue. They were also... off...

"Well, I can distract them. Think you can get to the oyster without issue?"

[Option Two: Half-Sunken "Haunted" Ship]

The partially sunken ship said to harbor one of the oysters was much more her speed.

But, there was something concerning to note: no present sea life. A ship even submerged this much should be teaming with it, but it was devoid. Her eyes narrowed and her bell curled as she thought, no, concentrated.

"... Keep around the pillars."

Out of everyone who had arrived in the story, Roxas takes the least amount of time to adapt to his mer form. And for obvious reasons; his Essence is the Little Mermaid, after all, and he's been getting used to having an underwater form since he arrived. However, rather than feel elated at being able to help the story from which his Essence originates, he instead feels an odd sense of unease.

He's read the story his Essence comes from, and knows how it's supposed to end. He knows of the fate of the Little Mermaid. So what does that mean for him? Would he be chosen to go through what she did? Would his Essence powers be affected if he sought to change the story? He wasn't sure.

When given the option, he will go to help with exploring the area around the palace. However, anyone who comes across Roxas will probably find him sitting on an underwater rock outcrop or floating through a coral reef bed. He's definitely distracted, staring off into the ocean or absently watching what little sea life is swimming around rather than actively exploring the area.

In an attempt to keep his mind occupied, Roxas can be found helping out wit the mermaid's garden. It's a mess here, and the though he's never tended to plants of any kind before, he finds it easy to clear away the gnarled plant life and trash that obviously doesn't belong there. Some of the small fish tend to cluster around him, though whether it's due to his Essence or because they're friendly, he's not sure.

However, as he works, he keeps looking up, frowning at the statues. He could have sworn that giant crab one hadn't been so close... He'll warily glance over to whoever's closest.

"Hey... is it just me, or are you getting a weird feeling from those statues?"

If Red XIII looked odd before, he certainly looks bizarre now. His upper half was still that of a cat's but his lower half was that of a lionfish's; the bright and wide fins take a while to get used to, but eventually, he works out something of a half-swim, half-dog paddle. It looks funny, but it works.

Seeing Dojima's preparation to explore, the cat-fish swims forward.

"I can go with you, if you need someone to accompany you."

[The lagoon looks rather beautiful, but those "swans" look downright ferocious. Red XIII lies in hiding behind some reeds, watching the giant birds as they go about their business, and eyes the large oyster in the middle of their territory.]

[The prospect of a hunt is enough to make his tail twitch, but he knows that it's foolish to just run in blindly. His ear flicks as he turns to his companion.]

This will not be easy... Those birds will need to be dealt with, or distracted.

[This is probably the last person one would expect to fulfill the role of the Prince, but here we are. As it stands, when his role appears on his journal, he finds himself waking up on the shores near the ocean, thankfully with all four paws intact, but instead in a strange outfit. He looks down at himself, huffing a bit.]

...Well, this is different.

[He hopes he doesn't have to stand on two legs again... Still, he stands up, shaking his fur out as best he can before looking around. Was someone supposed to be nearby with him?]

It was no surprise that Eustace was far from pleased about finding that his first role to portray in this world was...the mermaid princess. Even more so since he had to wear a crown that he was sure Korwa would fuss about if she saw it, as well as these oysters clamped onto his dark gray fishy tail, one styled after the black wolf fish. As he tried to swim through the murky waters, he could already tell these oysters were going to hamper his speed and maneuverability, but he would deal with it. Worst case he would just take the damn things off.

Thus he continued to swim through, using a glowing crystal he had brought along with him to help see through the darkness until he finally was able to spot the large shadow of what he presumed to be the ship that Dojima must be on. He was not exactly personally familiar with this particular tale, but he had at least read it before they came here. He just needed to wait for the boat to capsize, and even underwater he could see flashes of lightning, feel the undercurrents growing stronger with each passing wave.

After positioning himself to be near so that he could quickly swim up to the man's aid, he took the time to look further around. Even underwater his sense of hearing was as sensitive as ever, although in this case it was more like sensing the vibrations of movements within the water. He knew he was not alone, spotting various shadows lurking around. He also thought he saw some other merpeople drifting nearby, but it was too dark and murky to be certain.

As for where they needed to swim... There were no real signs underwater so he needed to look above, but he was not sure if he had enough time for that, nor if he would even be able to see. He decided to take the opportunity whenever he surfaced with Dojima later.

That was all he can really do for now, so swam just a little closer towards the ship, eyes mostly focused on the surface but occasionally glancing around to keep tabs of everything. Hopefully this would not get too chaotic.

Edited 2019-07-15 04:57 (UTC)

It was Dojima's first time doing a 'scene', and well...

He at least didn't need to wear a dress.

If anything, his 'usual' essense, King Arthur, was very comfortable in the outfit that was chosen for him. But that didn't mean he was comfortable in general. The boat was large- fit for a Prince- and on the deck was the makings of a party fit for a Prince's birthday. Of course, he was the only actual human on board. Everyone else were ...blots, he suspected. Blacked out and gloomy presence, though they seemed to imitate real life. He could hear something vaguely akin to chatter, gossiping, but it felt more like hushed, meaningless whispers.

And some of the blots weren't even trying; just standing, swaying back and forth in time with the waves, which, Dojima noticed, were becoming more and more rough.

If Dojima didn't know what was going to happen in the new few minutes, he may been tempted to try the 'wine' that was available, to calm his nerves from the whole uncanny situation.

~~Was this anything like what his nephew supposedly saw in the 'tv world?'~~

But, considering what was to happen next, he'd need his wits about him and ready to go at a moment's notice.

...The storm rolled in fast. Lightning crackled across the cloudy sky, thunder crashed, deafening his ears. Rain came down in torrents, and the waves crashed against the wooden haul of the ship, treating it like a small toy boat. Some of the Blots ran for cover, others, he suspected acting the part of sailors, tried to tie up the rigging, get the sails down to try and coast out the storm--

But it was too little, too late. Dojima had been gripping onto the railing when the largest wave he'd ever seen, slammed into the ship, pushing it too far to one side--

"--Here we --go!"

--He wasn't going to let himself just fall in. He dived head first, hoping his 'scene' partner would be ready to pull him back to the surface. Otherwise, it was going to be a long way to go...

Though, if he was honest, Dojima was glad he got this scene. Imagining any of the younger kids in a dangerous situation like this...

"..."

Okay, admittedly, when they all first gathered in the Library, Dojima had assumed the dog...cat? was someone's pet, much like his own horse Llmarei. But it...

It actually talked to him... Very politely, too.

"Uh..."

Give him a moment to process... alright, there we go. Shaking his head to clear it, Dojima then nodded towards the... creature.

"Sounds good to me... What's, uh, what's your name again?"

[They're certainly a pair of misfits for this role, no question about it. The scene finds Elma wandering on the rocky shore, in robes completely unsuited for such an activity. Spray from the waves crashing against the rocks has already soaked the lower half of her robes, meaning they stick to her body and slide uncomfortably against her with every motion.]

[The sound of a shaking animal, more than anything else, draws her attention, and with a very mild complaint under her breath, she crests a large clump of rocks to get a view of the other side.]

...I'm not sure what I expected to see, but this isn't it.

[ Of all the roles, Velvet had to end up as the lovesick mermaid. Ridiculous really considering she's never had any time for boys. Now she was expected to make a deal with the Sea Witch to go be with him.

This will certainly be interesting considering as Velvet has had plenty of practice in negotiating for the things required. Arms crossed over her chest, gold eyes narrow at the Sea Witch. ]

It's a bit much, don't you think? Asking for my voice and causing intense pain for a pair of legs.

[Hell yeah, he doesn't have to play any role this time. So he's going to take all that free time to check this place, see how tough the enemies are, and just try and get used to this new tail of his. Seems like it's swordfish based—perfect choice—and he can swim around pretty quickly thanks to it. With his swords seeming not being affected by the water, looks like he'll be able to fight fairly well. So after helping with unloading the bubble cargo and clearing out the camp with the others, he'll be swimming off on his own to scout around and explore.]

» a. jrpg pillaging «
[With the help of a few glowing crystals, Rokurou slowly swims through the east side of the crumbling kingdom. It being so dark and murky definitely doesn't help, but his enhanced daemon eye helps him spot the outlines of things a little quicker than his normal vision. Whenever he finds some glowing crystals and a sconce or some kind of placeholder, he places one in to help illuminate the area and essentially mark his path.

As he goes through the hallways and corridors, he peeks through the various rooms. Some of it is in curiosity, but also to dispatch anything that might be lurking within. Sometimes he finds one inhabited by some of the blot merpeople and...kind of creepy, and when he senses the tension suddenly rise from it, he just leaves. No need to pick a fight with the "locals." But as he continues to swim through, he's clearly on the search for something.]

Come on...where is...aha!

[His voice can be...somewhat heard by anyone nearby as he suddenly swims through a large doorway and into—]

Now let's see what kind of weapons they have.

[—the armory. Of course. Hey if he has to fight underwater, might as well see if weapons made for underwater people would work better than those made from land, right? Right. ~~He just wanted to see it.~~

He better be careful though. It seems he may have caught the attention of some of the blot merpeople, several of them making their way to his location. If anyone is nearby or is passed by one, they may feel a strong sense of anger and hostility. Anyone care to warn him? Or will they be caught up in this mess.]

=====================
» b. clearing out the hostiles «
[When not dealing with unwanted local attention, Rokurou can be found engaged in the various blot sea creatures and Erasers lurking both within and outside the kingdom. With his two large blades, he grins as he's able to cut through the water with increased bursts of speed and slice through his enemies.]

I could get used to this!

[The added vertical axis allows him to more easily come at his opponents from above and below, but the lack of real gravity does mean that when he's pushed back he's sent a bit farther off, sometimes even sent spinning and flipping around. He also can't really use any of his relearned artes as they don't really translate into an underwater environment very well, and swinging his blades requires a bit more strength as well. The nature of the monsters also affect his ability to fight, be it a fish form or something like an octopus or squid—or just some kind of Eldritch horror that could be related to Eizen.

Regardless, the added difficulty makes it more fun for the daemon swordsman, but an extra hand could hurt. Especially when there are multiple—or you know when of them senses a new presence and decides to attack someone else instead. Or some spray of ink spreads out farther than just the immediate combat area.

And if anyone is having trouble, Rokurou will gladly swim in to help. (He just wants to fight a lot.)]

=====================
» c. wildcard «
[ooc: Any other kind of shenanigans can happen here! Feel free to contact me on Discord or

laenavesse for more plotting. Also I am cool in either tagging format, so no need to keep it to brackets if you prefer prose; I'll follow you!]

[Naomi doesn't mind her role at all... after all, it was her role.]

[Staring back calmly at the 'Little Mermaid' before her (not Roxas, but maybe he'd play his role later), the jellyfish Sea Witch shrugged.]

Is it? You're asking to change the fate of yourself and another for a soul. You need a new form to achieve that goal on land and this is the smaller price to pay. Unless you find another method to reach out to the Prince, this is all I can do.

» a. swans at sunset «
[At the entrance of the lagoon, Rokurou is kind lounging half emerged by the edge, looking over where they need to go. In the center of the lagoon he can see the rocky outcrop where the large oysters nested—along with the flock of swans that swim peacefully around it.]

Hm... Okay, so what if we just kill all the swans and bring back some of the meat to cook later? Or fry them up here after.

[...Is he joking or serious, it's hard to say when he offers his suggestion so cheerfully and with an actual thoughtful smile.]

=====================
» b. haunted ship «
[Swimming through a haunted ship with skeleton pirates and other nasty creatures around? Hell yeah.

After narrowly dodging a skele-pirate's rusted blade, Rokurou spins back to execute a cross-cut slash, shattering through the corpse and sending its bones flying through the murky water.]

Heh, these aren't that tough at all.

[Maybe not, but once they clear the room they're swimming through, they'll find the next corridor lined with ghastly looking anemones, suspicious green gas bubbling from their openings.]

⊗ a. midnight coast
[Stealth missions are something that Eustace is accustomed to doing, and retrieving a pearl is a far simpler task than infiltrating enemy bases or assassinations. However, having someone else along is... Well, he's done it before, but with varying degrees of success, that variation dependent on who he's working with. Although even on his own, there is a fair bit of difficulty regardless.

The cove is "guarded" by several boats filled with the strange looking blot fishermen, their large hooks dangling dangerously deep in the water, and some even have barbed nets. There are also some fishing along the shores, a few on the edge of the cove itself.

...Hm.]

We should swim around and assess the situation on the other side, but it's likely we'll need to distract them somehow.

---------------
⊗ frozen seas
[Another "seemingly" simple mission made complicated by the environment. He can feel the cold of the water seeping into his exposed skin and even he feels uncomfortable by it, forced to keep some movement to help maintain warmth. The lightning strikes from the storms above are also impressive, the bolts actually piercing through the water several feet sending powerful jolts of electricity. Even from where the distance where they're treading they could feel a small tingle of it.

Some lightning bolts strike the large chunks of ice floating on the surface, sending small and large pieces into the water. That can also be a hazard, but...]

The ice can provide some cover to swim through the gaps, but it will be difficult to tell when the next lightning will strike the water.

Edited 2019-07-15 21:39 (UTC)

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Page 1 of 22

Chapter 03: Act I

SCENE 1: THE MERMAID AND GRANDMOTHER - KOTORI IIDA AND EIZEN

SCENE 2: THE MERMAID AND THE PRINCE - EUSTACE AND RYOTARO DOJIMA

SCENE 3: THE PRIESTESS AND THE PRINCE - RED XIII AND ELMA

SCENE 4: THE MERMAID AND THE SEA WITCH - VELVET CROWE AND NAOMI KIMISHIMA

(frozen comment) ---- SUB QUEST + INDIVIDUAL TOP LEVELS SEPARATOR ----

SUB QUEST 1: BASE CAMP + UNDERWATER EXPLORATION

SUB QUEST 2: MAKING THE CROWN

SUB QUEST 3: TENDING THE GARDEN; DON'T BLINK

Scouting Mission?

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"Exploration" OTA

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Swans at Sunset - OTA

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